| Aboriginal | While acknowledging the diversity of Aboriginal people in Australia, in this report the term Aboriginal has been used to refer to all people of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent. |
|---|---|
| Act | Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) |
| Alleged perpetrator | A person who is alleged to pose a risk of committing family violence. |
| AOD | Alcohol and other drugs |
| CIP | Central Information Point |
| CIP requester | An organisation that has been declared by the Minister to be a CIP requester. CIP requesters can request a CIP report in relation to a perpetrator or alleged perpetrator. CIP requesters include The Orange Door network, Berry Street (Northern Region family violence pilot program only), RAMPs, No to Violence (Men’s Referral Service) and Safe Steps. |
| CISS | Child Information Sharing Scheme |
| Confidential information | Health information, personal information (including sensitive information), unique identifiers or identifiers. |
| Data custodian | An organisation that is prescribed in the Regulations as a data custodian. Data custodians can share information with the CIP for a CIP report. Data custodians include Victoria Police, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Child Protection), the Department of Justice and Community Safety (Corrections Victoria), the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria and the Children's Court of Victoria. |
| Excluded information | Information that cannot be disclosed under the Act. This includes, for example, information that if collected, used or disclosed could be reasonably expected to endanger a person’s life, prejudice a criminal investigation or disclose privileged communications. The full list of excluded information is set out in the Act. |
| Family Safety Victoria | A division of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing with dedicated responsibility for delivering key elements of family violence reform. This includes the FVISS, the CIP, The Orange Door network and the MARAM reforms. |
| Family violence assessment purpose | The purpose of establishing or assessing the risk of a person committing family violence or a person being subjected to family violence. |
| Family violence protection purpose | The purpose of managing a risk of a person committing family violence or a person being subjected to family violence. This includes the ongoing assessment of the risk of the person committing family violence or being subjected to family violence. |
| Framework organisation | An organisation that is prescribed in the Regulations as a framework organisation. Framework organisations are required to align their policies, procedures, practice guidance and tools with the MARAM Framework. |
| FVISS | Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme |
| ISE | A person or organisation that is prescribed in the Regulations as an information sharing entity. ISEs are empowered and/or obligated to share confidential information for a family violence assessment purpose (where information is being disclosed to a RAE) or a family violence protection purpose (where information is being disclosed to another ISE). They can also receive confidential information for a family violence protection purpose. |
| Legislative instrument | The legislative instrument that codified MARAM as the approved framework under section 189 of the Act. The legislative instrument is available at Victorian Government, Victorian Government Gazette, No S 445, 25 September 2018. |
| MARAM or MARAM Framework | The Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework that has been approved by the Minister under section 189 of the Act. We use the terms ‘MARAM Framework' and ‘MARAM’ interchangeably throughout the report. |
| Minister | The Minister for Prevention of Family Violence |
| Ministerial Guidelines | Guidelines issued by the Minister under section 144P of the Act, titled Family Violence Information Sharing Guidelines: Guidance for Information Sharing Entities (updated April 2021). |
| Monitor | The Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor appointed under the Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor Act 2016 (Vic). |
| Perpetrator | A person in respect of whom an ISE reasonably believes that there is a risk that the person may commit family violence. A perpetrator is referred to as a ‘person of concern’ in the Act. We acknowledge that some practitioners and services may prefer to use different terminology, including ‘person using violence’. |
| Portfolio minister | A minister who has responsibility for a framework organisation. |
| RAMPs | Risk Assessment and Management Panels |
| RAE | An ISE that has also been prescribed in the Regulations as a risk assessment entity. RAEs can request and receive information under the FVISS for a family violence assessment purpose. |
| Regulations | Family Violence Protection (Information Sharing and Risk Management) Regulations 2018 |
| Royal Commission | Royal Commission into Family Violence |
| Survivor advocate | A victim survivor engaged in formal co-production activities and mechanisms to influence policy development, service planning and practice. We use this term to refer to the victim survivors of family violence that we consulted during the review. |
| Third party | A person whose confidential information is relevant to a family violence assessment purpose or a family violence protection purpose (other than an alleged perpetrator, perpetrator or victim survivor). A third party is referred to as a ‘linked person’ in the Act. |
| Victim survivor | A person in respect of whom an ISE reasonably believes that there is a risk that the person will be subjected to family violence. A victim survivor is referred to as a ‘primary person’ in the Act. We acknowledge that some practitioners and services may prefer to use different terminology, including ‘person experiencing violence’. |
Updated